Cincinnati firefighters familiar with Boston bombs, but not experienced

'Pressure cooker' bombs likely used

While more information is slowly being released about the bombings in Boston, Cincinnati officials said they are not familiar with such explosive devices.

The explosives used in the Boston Marathon bombing were crude devices often called "pressure cooker" bombs, according to a person briefed on the investigation.

Assistant Cincinnati Fire Chief Ed Dadosky said it is a device the city's Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit has never experienced but has heard of.

He explained how they work -- basically, too much energy in a confined space.

"Somehow or another they got what's called an initiating charge to that explosive, and all that pressure taking place in that pot, it has to go somewhere, and in this case, it's stronger than what's holding the lid of the pot in place, so it lets go. It's a catastrophic failure of the pot," Dadosky said.

The big question: How were the explosives detonated?

"Now, was that done electronically? Was it done with some type of fuse? That's the part that nobody’s really clear on," Dadosky said. “It could very well have taken someone on the outside setting it off somehow. You saw enough movies where they talk about (how) cellphones can be set up to be set off like that, but right now, there isn't enough information to know how it was done."

Federal units are still investigating the explosive devices. They are remaining tight-lipped about the investigation and any suspects.

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